
+ african american literature, american dream, american history, american literature, benjamin franklin, early american literature, Literature, louisiana literature, mississippi literature, southern literature, syllabus, thomas jefferson
African American Literature and the American Dream Syllabus
Whenever I teach an American literature survey course, the topic of the American Dream inevitably comes up. Typically, I ask students to define this mythological term and they reply with the standard answer, “The American Dream means happiness and success.” I elaborate upon this response by pointing them back, first to the Declaration of Independence, then to other texts. The Declaration states that “life, … Read More African American Literature and the American Dream Syllabus